Chapter Fourteen
Clark sat down beside Lois’ bed again. Epione sat on the other side, gently prodding Lois’ shoulder and making notes on a pad of paper.
“How much longer will she be out?” he asked.
“I gave her an herbal drink which will let her sleep until some time around mid-day tomorrow. You will be able to speak with her at that time.”
He hesitated, not wanting to hear the answer, but knowing that he had to hear it. “Will she be all right? I mean, she seems to be hurt worse than Wonder Woman was.”
Epione didn’t respond directly. “I understand that you had a conversation with our beloved Princess.” The healer glanced up at him. “I assume that you allowed her to live.”
“For now.”
She stopped and fixed him with a direct stare. “You need not speak so dangerously to me, Man of Steel. I know that such words do not come easily to your lips, nor do they come often.”
“How do you know that?”
“I can read your heart. And I spent time with Lois Lane before the contest began. She credited her compassion for others to you.” She sat back. “And I believe it to be the truth.”
He frowned and looked down at his sleeping wife. “I can’t tell you how scared I was when I realized that she and Wonder Woman were beating the crap out of one another.” He took a deep breath and closed his eyes for a moment, then said, “She’s been threatened before, been kidnapped before, faced real danger before, but when I saw her getting beaten like that in front of all of those witnesses and not one of you was making a move to stop it – ” He stopped and shuddered. “I kind of lost it for a minute or two.”
Epione shook her head. “Had you truly ‘lost it,’ as you term it, you would have slain the Princess. Instead, you merely pushed her to the sand with your breath. You did not even touch her. And you would have slain the guards who shot at you instead of merely unstringing their bows.” She wet a cloth and put ointment on it, then dabbed at Lois’ facial injuries. “Even in your anger and fear, you refused to take a life. You are indeed a hero.”
He crossed his arms and sank backwards onto the bed beside Lois’ feet. “I don’t feel very heroic right now.”
“That is an understandable state of mind. Since you asked me for my medical expertise, may I now take your mind off your troubles concerning yourself and tell you of Lois’ injuries?”
He waited a breath, then sat up. “Yes. Please.”
Epione put the cloth down and glanced at her notes. “She has a serious concussion, but she has responded well to the herbal therapy and I believe she will recover fully. She may have difficulty with her sense of balance for three, or perhaps four days, but that will pass.
“Her facial injuries will also heal, and I do not believe she will retain any disfiguring scars. Her teeth, however, are another matter. Several of them are broken, one down to the gum line. But I believe we can regenerate them the same way we regenerate those of the Amazons who are injured in combat training or other accidents. We have, in fact, already begun this treatment.”
His eyebrows rose. “You mean you can re-grow her teeth?”
“Yes. And they will be as strong as if they had never been damaged.”
“How can you do that?”
“Surely you do not believe that our cloak is the only technology which we possess but which your world does not. We may have been isolated for centuries, Man of Steel, but we have not been idle for that time.”
He nodded. “That’s great to hear. I like her smile the way it was the last time I saw her with hair.” He tilted his head as if examining Lois’ mouth. “I think she’s got a couple of cavities in there somewhere, too. Can you fix those while you’re doing the other?”
Epione smiled. “Yes. I will examine and repair all of her teeth.” She glanced at the chart again. “Her right shoulder was dislocated. We have reset it, and with proper exercise and therapy she should suffer no lasting injury. Her right hand was broken in several places, and I believe that she will recover full use of it also. But we cannot re-grow nerve tissue, Superman. If there is nerve damage which I have not yet found, we cannot repair it.”
His face fell. “You mean she might have a permanent loss of function in her hand?”
“I cannot tell as yet, but it is possible. Not likely, but possible, and I felt you should be aware.”
His voice was flat. “What else?”
“Her left ankle will heal completely. She will be kicking wayward princesses with abandon before long.”
He glanced up and caught her slight grin. After a long moment, he returned it. “Thank you for all you’ve done for her.”
Epione sighed. “Were it not for us, she would never have been injured. What I do now is not enough to repay what she has done for us.”
“What do you mean by that?”
The healer moved to a chair beside Lois’ bed and assumed a lecturing posture. “Had the Princess defeated Lois in combat, she would have won the right to pursue you. I know, you would not have cooperated, but in the meantime Diana would have created havoc here. Our lives would have been disrupted, our political structure might have toppled, and she might have led an actual revolution against her mother. Had she succeeded in that endeavor, we might have entered into war with your people, one which would surely have cost many lives on both sides.” She canted her head in his direction. “I believe that many lives were saved today, mostly through the efforts of the wife of Superman, but with your assistance also.”
Clark shrugged his shoulders. “Happy to have been of service, ma’am.”
“My thanks are to Lois. She has prevented this disaster by fighting the Princess to a standstill.” Epione shook her head. “Had I not seen it with my own eyes, I might not credit such a report. Are all women in your city so skilled in unarmed combat?”
“No. But a lot of them are. And some of the men are even better. And they have weapons that can kill from long distances.” He exhaled deeply. “If Diana had really started a war with the outside world, your fighters probably would have been wiped out within days.”
The healer nodded. “Then I am very glad we did not go to war with you.”
A quiet knock sounded from the doorway to the room and saved him from replying. “Excuse me? Is Lois awake yet? I would like to – oh! I – I beg your forgiveness, S-Superman!”
A teenager with a striking resemblance to Diana fell to one knee and ducked her head. Epione rose and went to her. “She sleeps, Troia, and she will not awaken until the morrow. And you should be asleep yourself.”
Without looking up, the girl asked, “Have I offended the Superman?”
Epione turned her head to Clark, who took it as an invitation to start acting less like a threat and more like himself. “I am not offended, young lady.” He stood and walked over to her. “Why don’t you stand up?”
She slowly looked up at his outstretched hand, then carefully took it and rose to her feet. “Please – forgive my boldness, Superman. I only wished to see how Lois is recovering.”
He released her fingers and put his hands on his hips. “Why is that, exactly?”
Her eyes widened but her voice remained steady. “I was tasked to give her advice on how to fight my sister. I did not – ”
“Sister?” he burst out. “You’re Wonder Woman’s sister?”
“Yes. Although the title ‘Wonder Woman’ is bestowed upon royalty when we leave the island to seek a mate and a father for our children. It is not a true name. I hope to be chosen when I am old enough.”
“I see. Well, the healer just finished telling me about Lois’ recovery, and she thinks it will go very well.” He tried a small smile. “I think you can come see her tomorrow afternoon if you want to.”
The girl’s face glowed. “Oh, I very much want to! Thank you!” She turned to leave, then stopped. “Please, Superman, if you have the opportunity, I would ask you to tell Lois that I am glad that she survived the Challenge. Also, please let her know that I still have the clothing she wore when she came here, and I will launder those garments myself before I return them to her.” She hesitated, then continued, “And I am glad that she did not kill my sister, even though Diana is quite haughty and pernicious and hard-headed. And jealous.” She paused, then added, “And stupid.”
The girl spun and quick-marched out of the hospital room, leaving Clark trying not to laugh aloud. “Troia is her own woman,” said Epione quietly. “She does not follow in her sister’s shadow.”
“I guess not. Say, do you have a cot or a mat or something that I can lie down on? I want to get some sleep and I’m not leaving Lois.”
“You require such things as sleep and comfort?”
“I don’t require it, but it might be better if I don’t float around during the night. I wouldn’t want to accidentally fall on Lois again.”
Epione smiled at the thought. “Of course. I will send a maid with a pallet for you. Now I must examine the Princess and see if she requires my ministrations.”
*****
He knew it was a dream, but he didn’t care. In the dream, Lois wore something diaphanous which covered her from neck to toe yet left nothing to his imagination. She floated toward him with a soft and sexy smile and reached out to pull him into her embrace. She opened her mouth slightly to press it against his lips.
Then she began singing “The Guy With the Computer Know-How.”
It was the ring tone on his phone for numbers not in his contact list. Somebody was calling him. He lurched up from his computer desk and pawed for it. He finally found it under a discarded sock. “Hello?”
“Olsen. Report.”
The gruff voice chased every vestige of sleep from his mind. “Uh. Right. Mr. Batman. Sir.”
“Never mind that. How is Ms. Lane?”
“Uh, yeah. Last time I talked to CK, he said that she’s recovering nicely. Apparently the Amazons have some pretty neat medical technology and very effective herbal medicine. She should be on her feet in another day or two and back at work on a limited basis next week.”
“That’s good. I’ll pass it on.”
“Pass it on – to who?”
“To ‘whom,’ you mean.”
“Yeah, that’s what I – ”
“Tell Superman to come and see me when he has a chance. I’ll meet him where we met before. And I’ll let him know what I want him to do.”
“Uh – do?”
“Don’t worry, he’ll know what you mean.”
And the line went dead. Jimmy looked at his clock and read five-sixteen in the morning. Too early to get up and too late to go back to bed. Best thing he could do now was to get a shower and get ready for another Monday morning.
*****
Bruce Wayne leaned back in the recliner and crossed his arms. Selina Kyle turned toward him in her chair and smiled coyly. “Things are well, I take it?”
“As well as they can be. Ms. Lane is recovering nicely and her husband is there with her. She should be back at work in a week or so.”
“Their doctors are that good? Maybe you should have Alfred consult with them. You know, for the times when you bite off more than you can chew.”
“There aren’t many of those times and you know it,” he growled.
“Enough so that they pile up. Eventually you’ll just fall apart when you jump down off a building or stop a punch.”
He frowned, considering the idea, and decided it held merit. “Good thinking. I’ll see if I can set something up.”
“That’s why you pay me the big bucks, handsome.” She sipped at her pineapple martini. “So, when do you tell the Big Blue Boy Scout who you are?”
He looked at her and frowned slightly. “That would entail telling him who you are, too. And I’m not about to do that without talking it over with you first.”
“Thank you for your kind consideration. We’ll have to spend some real time discussing that one.” More of the martini disappeared. “On a slightly different subject, what do you plan to ask him to do, clean out some Rogue’s lair and trip all the booby traps so you can go in full-bore without getting clobbered?”
He put his head back and lifted one eyebrow. “No. I’m going to walk into the Iceberg Lounge with him right behind me and buy him a drink.”
“What?” Her eyes grew until they dominated her face. “With all those costumed Rogues in there you’re going to – he’s going to – and – ”
“That’s about the size of it, yes. And I plan to use real money, too. I don’t want to run a tab in the Penguin’s place of business.”
Selina sputtered. Then she stared at him in amazement. Then she chuckled. Then she burst out laughing.
He smiled, then chortled slightly. “I figure it will shake up the costumed crooks and either scare them or provoke them into doing something really stupid.”
“Oh, you’ll be busy as an IRS auditor in Vegas! You know you’ll turn the place upside down!” She grabbed her stomach and laughed again. “They won’t know what hit them!”
“And I’m not going to tell him why we’re there. He’ll play his part all the better for not knowing what’s going on.”
It was too much. She jumped up from the chair and ran to the bathroom, calling out, “You are so cruel!”
He smiled a very un-Batman-like smile as he envisioned the reaction to Superman’s presence in the middle of all those themed criminals. He hoped he could keep a scowl on his face, especially when Ivy tried to use her man-enslaving pheromones on him.
*****
Lois’ eyes drifted open. The late afternoon sunlight from the elegant window frame diffused throughout the room and gave it a homey, lived-in feel. She glanced at the calendar Clark had brought her and smiled. It was already late Friday, and she felt far better today than any other day since the fight.
Or maybe she shouldn’t count the first two days. She hadn’t done much more than sleep and drink and pee. It had been almost like being an infant all over again, this time with her husband there watching her be treated like an invalid.
Of course, that’s what she had been. But she wasn’t one now.
Lois sat up slowly and took inventory of herself. Under her thin sleeping shift, her right shoulder was a bit stiff and her right hand was still wrapped tightly, but the pain was gone from both of them. Her left ankle and foot were wrapped in some kind of stiff leaf-and-vine concoction which seemed to function as a walking boot, and the ankle itself didn’t hurt. Epione had promised her that the gizmo would come off before she and Clark left the island on Sunday afternoon, and she was really looking forward to being free once again.
She touched her tongue to her teeth. They seemed to be healing nicely, and Epione was very pleased with the results she’d achieved. The healer had expressed concern that Lois’ replacement teeth wouldn’t bond with her body even though they’d been grown using her own cells, but they seemed to be doing exactly what everyone had hoped they would do. And she was ready to come off the liquid diet.
She looked around. The floor-length toga-like gown Epione had brought her was hanging on the wall beside her gi, which Donna – or Troia, or whatever her preferred name was – had returned to her the previous day. Clark wasn’t there, but she hadn’t expected him to be. She knew he had to make early evening patrols over Metropolis even if she was recovering from her injuries here on Themyscira.
She wobbled to the luxurious Grecian-style bathroom and returned to the bed, then decided that doggone it, she’d been in this room for four days and hadn’t seen very much of the island. It was time to take a short tour.
The gown was easy to put on and fasten – or would have been had Lois been completely healthy. But she was determined, and after a brief struggle she was dressed decently enough to appear among civilized people. Or, at least among the Amazons of Themyscira.
There were two armed guards outside the door, of course, and they reacted as she stepped out of the room. One of them stiffened as the door opened and stepped away from Lois, looking around to prevent anyone from shooting an arrow or throwing a knife at her.
The other one inclined her head without closing her eyes. “Lady Lois, do you require anything?”
“Yes. I need to get out of the room and see the sun again.”
The guard’s eyebrows flinched. “I am not certain that it would be proper for you to leave the safety of your room at this time.”
Lois sighed. “Look, I’m not trying to make your job more difficult. I just can’t stay in there any longer! Haven’t you ever been cooped up in a room somewhere and gotten cabin fever?”
“You suffer from a fever?” The woman’s face showed alarm. “If you are ill, we must summon the healer immediately!”
“No! I mean, I’m not sick. It’s just an expression. It means that I need to look at something other than those very pretty walls in there.”
The guard’s expression softened and she nodded once. “I believe I understand your predicament. Will you allow us to accompany you?”
“Um, how about just one of you comes with me? I’d rather not leave the room unguarded even if I’m not in it.”
The other woman said, “That is wise counsel, Aella. I will remain here unless you prefer to do so.”
Aella shook her head. “No. You stay. I will accompany Lady Lois on her walk.”
Aella took off her helmet and set it beside the door, then leaned her halberd against the wall above it. “I am ready to accompany the Lady.”
Lois took in the sword on her left hip, the throwing stars on her belt buckle, and the big utility knife on her right hip. “Are you sure you don’t want to take a bazooka or call in air support?”
Aella frowned. “I apologize, my Lady. I do not know what those words mean.”
“Never mind. It’s just my irritation showing. Why don’t you give me the nickel tour of the island?”
Aella appeared to think hard about Lois’ question, then gestured to one side. “Perhaps it might be better if your first – ah, ‘nickel tour’ were a brief one. I would not wish for the healer to be angry with me for allowing you to exhaust yourself.”
“Good idea. Lead the way, Aella.”
*****
They returned to her room before dark without incident. Lois was tired but refreshed, and she lay down for a brief nap which turned into a full night’s sleep.
When she woke up the next morning, Clark was sleeping on the floor beside her bed. His suit was hung on the wall beside her gown, and he wore only a T-shirt and boxers. He looked so wonderful to her that she decided her recovery was advanced far enough for a little fun with him.
When she came back from the bathroom, she lay down next to him – noting that her repaired shoulder was usable but still a little touchy – and kissed him gently.
His eyes fluttered open and he smiled. “I hope I’m not dreaming.”
“If you are, I’m dreaming too.”
His arm gently snaked around her waist. “I heard about your outing last evening. I guess you had a good time.”
“I did. And now I’m full of all of the healer’s herbal medicine, and my teeth don’t hurt even though she told me not to bite down on anything hard just yet, and I’m feeling enough like my old self that I think we should celebrate.”
“Oh? And how would you like to do that?”
She rolled over on top of him and tugged at his shirt. “I want to make love to you. Right now. On the floor or on the bed or floating in mid-air, I don’t care. I want you.”
He smiled. “Are you sure you’re up to it?”
She leaned down and kissed his nose. “I’m the one who should ask you that question.”
Their lips met and melded together for a long moment. When they separated, he whispered, “Oh, I’m up for it.”
And to prove it, he lifted them both slowly from the floor. She tugged his shirt off as he worked on her sleeping shift, and they both shed the boxers.
And Lois surprised both of them with her energy.
*****
Aella thought she heard something from inside the room. She pulled her fighting knife and reached for the door before she recognized the sounds.
The other guard reacted with alarm. “Is the Lady being attacked? Is she in danger?”
Aella felt her cheeks grow warm and she sheathed her blade. “No, Tania. If there is any attacking going on in there, I believe the Lady Lois is the aggressor. And she is in danger only of tiring herself.”
Tania frowned. “But should we not investigate?”
“Tania, she is in the room with Superman. If anyone is able to defeat him, it is unlikely that we would have a chance to help her. Besides,” Aella added with a sly grin, “I believe that the Lady Lois can best Superman any time she wishes to do so.”
Tania frowned for a moment longer, then her eyebrows rose and her mouth fell open. “Oh!” she blurted. “Then they are – they – oh, my!”
Aella returned to her station and assumed a ready pose. After a moment, she felt Tania’s eyes on her. She turned to meet the other woman’s gaze and held it for a long moment before they both burst out in embarrassed laughter.
*****
Epione approached Lois’ door and reached out to open it when one of the guards said, “With respect, Healer, we advise you to make your approach known to the Lady Lois before entering.”
Epione frowned slightly. “Oh? Why is that?”
“I do not know,” answered the guard. “Aella herself asked us to pass that message on to you.”
“Did she say anything else?”
“No.”
The other guard said, “But she and Tania chuckled as they left. Something amused them both.”
Epione shrugged. “Very well. Please announce me.”
The second guard pulled out her knife and gently tapped the door with the pommel. “Lady Lois? Healer Epione is here and wishes to speak with you.”
There was no answer from within, so the guard tapped harder this time. “Lady Lois?” she called. “Are you awake? The healer is here and wishes to speak with you.”
“Mmmff?” said a female voice from inside the room.
The guard shook her head, apparently puzzled. “Lady Lois? Are you well?”
“What? Oh – yeah, I’m just fine!”
A series of giggles, some female and some male, were heard from inside the room. Epione smiled and nodded in understanding. Her patient was indeed feeling much better.
“Lady Lois, this is Healer Epione. Should I return later this morning?”
“What? Oh, no, just a – hang on a second!“ She said something Epione didn’t catch, then giggled again. A brief ‘whoosh’ was audible outside the door, then Lois called out, “Okay, Healer, come on in!”
The guard – who had finally realized what had been going on in the room and whose face had by this time turned almost scarlet – reached out and opened the door without looking inside the room. As Epione entered, she heard the other guard snort in a highly amused and very unprofessional manner.
As she looked at her patient and the hero sitting on the bed next to each other, though, she decided that she would not officially report either of the guards. Telling the story later – quite unofficially, of course – to Phillipus or Clio, however, was something she planned to enjoy.
Had she not already known that these two people loved each other deeply, she would have instantly read it in their faces and in their posture. Lois’ un-bandaged hand was cradled gently in Superman’s mighty one, and they surely did not know that they were leaning toward each other and that they were breathing almost in unison. Their faces were lit with the afterglow of unrestrained love and passion.
The patient was feeling much better, Epione thought. As was her husband.
And the love with which their faces fairly shone made Epione yearn for the company of her own mate. Perhaps she could visit Leonard on the Isle of Husbands. It was not yet time for their scheduled visit, but perhaps their relationship could do with a bit of spontaneity.
Those thoughts, however pleasant, were for another time and place. She put them on a nearby shelf in her mind, where she might easily fetch them back again, and smiled at her patient and her patient’s husband. “Good morning, my lady, Superman. I need to examine Lady Lois, but I suspect that she is feeling much better today.”
Lois’ eyes shone as she nodded and smiled even wider. “You got that right.”
Epione held back her smile as Superman blushed slightly. “Then allow me to complete my examination, and we may then attend the hearing for the Princess.”
“The hearing?” asked Superman.
The healer lifted Lois’ injured hand and softly manipulated it. “Yes. Diana must appear before the queen and her court to answer for the things she has done. And not only the things she has done to the two of you. There are rumors of charges of treason and conspiracy being bandied about, and she does not appear to have many friends left.”
Lois’ smile had turned upside down. “Do we have to go?”
Epione shook her head and moved to Lois’ bandaged shoulder. “Neither of you is required to attend. Indeed, by our own laws we cannot compel you to do so. But the queen has requested that you be available to testify, Lois, and you also, Superman, concerning her attempt to attract her desired mate. And I understand that this testimony would be quite useful in determining her fate.” She leaned back and said, “Please lift your injured ankle.”
“What kind of sentence is possible?” asked Superman.
She began unwrapping the leaves and vines from Lois’ leg. “Almost anything. If it can be proven that she was leading a conspiracy to violently overthrow the queen, a sentence of death is possible but is not likely. I suspect that she will be banished for a few years and forbidden to conceive for that period of time. She might even be removed from the line of succession, although such an outcome is only slightly more likely than a sentence of death.”
Epione deliberately did not look at either her patient or her patient’s husband as they silently discussed her suggestion. She softly poked and gently twisted Lois’ foot until she saw that they had come to a decision.
“Lady Lois, your ankle seems to be healing properly. I will replace the bandage on it, and I advise you to retain it until tomorrow morning. After that, if you refrain from running or climbing for a week, it should be fine.”
“How about her hand and shoulder?”
“Ah, yes. The shoulder is coming along well, although I recommend not lifting anything with that arm for a week. And I see no nerve damage in the hand, either. You were most fortunate in that regard. When you return to your home, Lady Lois, I suggest that you visit your own physician and devise a plan of exercise and therapy to rebuild the flexibility and strength in your shoulder and hand.”
“I will. And thank you, Epione.”
She smiled at the couple and sat back. “I am on my way to the hearing. Have you chosen to accompany me?”
They glanced at each other, apparently for mutual support or confirmation – or both – and nodded. “We’re coming with you,” answered Lois.
